Disney and Fox are strong. Sony is climbing back. Warner makes blockbusters (duh). Michael B. Jordan is a scorching movie star.
Sharon Waxman | April 24, 2015 @ 6:48 AM
Last Updated: April 24, 2015 @ 9:18 AM
I’ve been in Las Vegas and haven’t seen the sky for three full days. However, I have seen lots of trailers and exciting footage (and some not-so-exciting footage) of the movies coming our way this year.
Here are my takeaways from the annual CinemaCon confab between Hollywood and movie exhibitors.
Sony wants to be the “filmmaker friendly” studio, and it’s true they’re making movies with Ang Lee, Robert Zemeckis and Cameron Crowe, climbing their way back in the wake of the hack. But it’s 20th Century Fox that looks to be drawing the elite of the filmmaking community, with strong films coming this year from David O. Russell (“Joy”), Oscar winner Alejandro Innaritu (“Birdman”) whose footage of his in-the-works “The Revenant” with Leonardo DiCaprio shot on the frozen tundra was simply inspiring and Ridley Scott, whose new film “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, looks to be one of his best efforts in years.
Disney has never been stronger as a studio. The bold strategy put in place by Bob Iger in buying Marvel and Lucasfilm, in extending John Lasseter’s magic Pixar touch to Disney Animation, is demonstrably paying off. Any studio would be thrilled to have a year that will relaunch the legendary “Star Wars” franchise. But Disney has a superior lineup of movies including not one but two Pixar movies coming this year, along with what looks to be a visually unique action fantasy adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird.
Universal has come through a lengthy dry spell and is finally humming as a business and creative engine. It’s been many years of executive leadership changes, shifts in strategic direction and filmmaking choices (from Bourne’s identity to ’47 Ronin’) from Stacey Snider to Marc Shmuger and David Linde to Adam Fogelson. But with an unusual combination of experience and creativity in Jeff Shell, Donna Langley and Ron Meyer, the studio seems to have found its groove. Universal has not only successfully reinvigorated the “Fast and Furious” franchise — hitting its first $1 billion box office take with “Furious 7” — it will reap huge financial rewards from the $568 million haul on “Fifty Shades of Grey” and mint at least two more in that series. The Illumination partnership continues to delight with the upcoming “Minions.” It’s still unclear if the studio has Academy Award ambitions, and what would scratch that itch.
Vin Diesel knows how to tug at the heart strings. The star of “Furious 7” came onstage in the wake of the studio’s victory lap about the movie’s financial success and made the entire room misty. He said he missed his “brother” Paul Walker, and thanked the 3,000 exhibitors in the room: “You made me feel like we could make history with ‘Furious 7.’ This was a very personal movie, the stakes were very personal… We did it as a family, all of us. And I love you for that.”
Warner Bros. is about blockbusters, period. At its presentation, the studio tried to show it had a diverse slate – in other words, something other than superhero flicks. But it wasn’t terribly convincing. The studio excels at making big popcorn movies for broad audiences. What passes for slate diversity at Warner is whether a massive earthquake is going to destroy the earth or a giant radioactive lizard or the current villain chasing Batman (real or Lego version). Sure, the studio will still make any movie Clint Eastwood chooses, as well they should, and not merely because of the success of “American Sniper.” But we could all use a little more of the kind of movie that “Creed” looks to be, with the heart that a director like Ryan Coogler can bring and the scorching charisma of Michael B. Jordan.
See previous: Michael B. Jordan is a movie star.
And Tom Cruise is still a movie star. His description of how he did his stunt on “Mission: Impossible 5” grabbing onto the side of the plane had everyone gasping.
No, it isn’t really Year of the Woman, but we appreciate the sentiment. In his opening remarks to the convention, John Fithian of the National Association of Theater Owners pronounced 2015 the “year of women” at the multiplex. He offered no proof except to say that women have bought 60 percent of the tickets at the box office this year, so far. That’s great, but the statistics that really matter — how many women are in lead roles, how many substantive roles are there for women at all, how many women directors or screenwriters — remain utterly dismal. Lionsgate provides YA vehicles for women heroines from Kristen Stewart to Jennifer Lawrence to Shailene Woodley. But it’s a lonely screenscape out there otherwise. The summer holds some girlish comedies in Melissa McCarthy’s “Spy,” and some girl-buddy funnies in Sofia Vergara-Reese Witherspoon’s “Hot Pursuit,” the ensemble “Pitch Perfect 2,” and the Amy Poehler-Tina Fey comedy “Sisters” (which truth be told did not look so hot). It’s not enough. It’s a start, but it’s not enough.
Not to dwell on Universal, but this quote from Jeff Shell, the studio chairman, shouldn’t be overlooked: “The movie business is really, really hard.”
42 Summer Movies on Our Radar: From 'Avengers,' 'Jurassic World' to 'Magic Mike XXL' (Photos)
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" - May 1 The elite superhero team -- including Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans -- assembles again in this follow up to the 2012 blockbuster.
Marvel/Disney
"Welcome to Me" - May 1 Kristen Wiig stars in this indie drama about a woman with borderline personality disorder who buys herself a cable access talk show after winning the lottery. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay produced.
Alchemy
"The D-Train" - May 8 Jack Black plays the head of his high school reunion committee who must convince the most popular guy in his class (James Marsden) to attend the reunion in this Sundance pic.
IFC
"Maggie" - May 8 Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this indie as a father who stays with his daughter (Abigail Breslin) as she transforms into a zombie.
Roadside Attractions
"Hot Pursuit" - May 8 Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara star in this buddy comedy about a straight-laced cop (Witherspoon) tasked with escorting a witness (Vergara) to her trial
Warner Bros
"The Connection" - May 15 Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin stars in this French crime thriller as a real-life policeman who dedicates his career to taking down a drug lord (Gilles Lellouche)
Relativity
"Mad Max: Fury Road" - May 15 Tom Hardy takes over the role that made Mel Gibson an international star in this reboot from the madcap mind of George Miller
Warner Bros.
"Pitch Perfect 2" - May 15 Anna Kendrick returns for the song-filled sequel to the 2012 musical smash hit.
Universal
"Poltergeist" - May 22 Sam Rockwell leads a remake of the 1982 horror classic that was originally written by Steven Spielberg.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Tomorrowland" - May 22 George Clooney and Britt Robertson star in a sci-fi fantasy about a man and woman who must discover the secrets of a strange land lost in time and space.
Disney
"Aloha" - May 29 Cameron Crowe directs Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone in a romantic comedy about a military contractor overseeing a satellite launch in Hawaii.
Columbia Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox
"San Andreas" - May 29
Dwayne Johnson stars in a disaster movie about a chopper pilot who must rescue his daughter (Alexandra Daddario) after a massive earthquake strikes California.
Warner Bros.
"Entourage" - June 5 Vince (Adrian Grenier) drives Ari (Jeremy Piven) up the wall when he decides to direct and star in his own movie in the big screen version of the HBO show.
HBO/Warner Bros.
"Spy" - June 5 Melissa McCarthy co-wrote and stars in a comedy about a CIA analyst who gets her chance to work in the field when an arms dealer (Rose Byrne) threatens to destabilize the world.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Insidious Chapter 3" - June 5 In this horror prequel, psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) agrees to help teenager (Stefanie Scott) who is being targeted by a supernatural force.
Blumhouse
"Jurassic World" - June 12 Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard lead the latest installment in the Michael Crichton-inspired series. This time around, the park is terrorized by a genetically-engineered dinosaur that escapes its enclosure.
Legendary Pictures
"Me and Earl and The Dying Girl" - June 12 This 2015 Sundance Grand Jury winner follows an anti-social teen (Thomas Mann) who falls in love with a classmate (Olivia Cooke) who has leukemia.
Fox Searchlight
"Dope" - June 19 This Sundance breakout centers on a teen (Shameik Moore) trying to make his Ivy League dreams come true in his tough LA neighborhood.
Open Road Films
"Inside Out" - June 19 Pixar takes us inside the mind of a little girl as her emotions vie for control. Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader all lend their voices.
Disney/Pixar
"Ted 2" - June 26 Seth MacFarlane's foul-mouthed teddy bear returns in the sequel that finds Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) and John (Mark Wahlberg) fighting in court to prove that Ted is human.
Universal Pictures
"Batkid Begins" June 26 This feel-good documentary tells the story of a five-year-old leukemia patient who inspired people from all over the world to help him live out his dream of being Batman for a day.
Warner Bros
"Max" - June 26 A Marine-trained German shepherd is sent to live with the family of his former handler (Robbie Amell), who was killed in Afghanistan
Warner Bros
"Big Game" - June 26 A teenage-boy (Onni Tommila) rescues the President of the United States (Samuel L. Jackson) when Air Force One crash lands near his campsite.
EuropaCorp
"Magic Mike XXL" - July 1 Channing Tatum gyrates his way into this sequel as stripper "Magic" Mike who decides to attend an annual stripper conference in Myrtle Beach.
Warner Bros.
"Terminator: Genisys" - July 1 Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the unstoppable android as he fights to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) with the help of Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney).
Paramount
"Minions" - July 2 The Minions are back in this "Despicable Me" spinoff. This time, they are recruited by a super-villainess (Sandra Bullock) in her plot to take over the world.
Universal Pictures
"The Bronze" - July 10 "Big Bang Theory" star Melissa Rauch co-wrote and stars in this comedy about a former Olympic athlete clinging to her last shreds of fame.
Relativity
"Self/Less" - July 10 Ryan Reynolds stars in this thriller about a wealthy, dying man who pays to have his consciousness transferred into a younger body. When he begins to investigate where the body came from, he discovers a terrifying mystery
Focus Features
"Ant-Man" - July 17 Paul Rudd leads this Marvel comic adaptation about a con man who is given a device that can shrink him in scale by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).
Marvel/Disney
"Trainwreck" - July 17 Amy Schumer and Bill Hader star in a Judd Apatow comedy about a magazine writer (Schumer) who refuses to commit, until her relationship with a doctor (Hader) challenges her notions of monogamy.
Universal Pictures
"Stanford Prison Experiment" - July 17 Based on the infamous 1971 psychological experiment, 24 male students volunteer to play prisoners or guards in a mock-prison, only for things to spiral completely out of control.
IFC
"Paper Towns" - July 24 Based on the novel by John Green, Nat Wolff plays a boy who convinces his friends to embark on a road trip to find the missing girl next door (Cara Delevingne).
Twentieth Century Fox
"Pixels" - July 24 Adam Sandler leads a team of gamers (Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage) who must fight aliens that invade Earth in the form of classic video games.
Columbia Pictures
"Southpaw" - July 24 Jake Gyllenhaal packed on the muscle for this drama about a troubled boxer fighting to regain custody of his daughter. Antoine Fuqua directed based on a script by Kurt Sutter.
The Weinstein Company
"Irrational Man" - July 24 Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone star in a Woody Allen film about a college philosophy professor (Phoenix) who enters into a relationship with his student (Stone).
Sony Classics
"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" - July 31 Tom Cruise once again does the impossible as he leads his team against an international syndicate intent on destroying the Impossible Mission Force.
Paramount
"End of the Tour" - July 31 Jesse Eisenberg stars as Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky as he conducts a series of interviews with author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel). The film is based on Lipsky's book, "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself."
A24
"Fantastic Four" - August 7 Miles Teller (Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (Human Torch), Kate Mara (Invisible Girl), and Jamie Bell (The Thing) lead this comic adaptation about the superhero team that gained powers after an accident in space.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Masterminds" - August 7 Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudekis and Zach Galifianakis star in this heist comedy about a real 1997 armored car robbery in North Carolina
Relativity
"The Man From U.N.C.L.E." - August 14 Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer play an American and Russian agent forced to team up to stop an evil organization trying to steal nuclear weapons. The film is based on the 1964 TV series of the same name.
Warner Bros
"Straight Outta Compton" - August 14 O'Shea Jackson Jr., the son of Ice Cube, plays his father in this look at the impact of the revolutionary gangster rap group NWA.
Universal
"Hitman: Agent 47" - August 28 Rupert Friend stars in this video game adaptation about a genetically engineered assassin who teams up with a mysterious young woman to bring down an evil corporation.
Twentieth Century Fox
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TheWrap Summer Movie Preview 2015: “Mission: Impossible 5,” “Entourage,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” also among season’s big releases